Family Of Man Killed In Malibu Creek State Park Sues For $90M

MALIBU (CBSLA) — The family of a man who was shot to death while camping at Malibu Creek State Park last June has filed a $90 million lawsuit against several agencies, alleging they didn't do enough to warn the public about the fact that there had been multiple unsolved shootings in the area dating back to 2016.

On June 22, 35-year-old Tristan Beaudette of Irvine was mysteriously shot and killed while camping with his two young daughters at Malibu Creek State Park.

Following that killing, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials confirmed that there had been at least other seven unsolved shootings dating back to November 2016 at or near Malibu Creek State Park.

Following Beaudette's shooting, about 60 campsites at Malibu Creek State Park were closed indefinitely. They remain closed.

On Oct. 10, the sheriff's department reported that 42-year-old Anthony Rauda was arrested in Malibu Canyon in connection with a string of recent burglaries in the Calabasas and Malibu areas. He was spotted by authorities on a ridge top carrying a rifle in his backpack. At the time, detectives said he was being investigated for the unsolved shootings.

Authorities described Rauda as a "survivalist" who lived off stolen food while often sleeping outside in the Malibu area.

Then, on Jan. 7, Rauda was charged with one count of murder in Beaudette's death and 10 counts of attempted murder for the other shootings.

On Nov. 3, 2016, prosecutors say Rauda wounded a man who was sleeping in a hammock in Malibu Creek State Park area. Less than a week later, on Nov. 9, 2016, Rauda allegedly fired into the sleeping area of a vehicle.

Beaudette's widow, Erica Wu filed claims for damages last month against LASD and other state and local agencies, accusing them of failing to notify the public about the shootings, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

"The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, California State Park Police, Department of Parks and Recreation, and California State Parks and Recreation Commission have confirmed they were aware of at least seven unsolved shootings in Malibu Creek State Park," according to the claims filed by Wu's attorney and obtained by the Times.

LASD and other state officials did not immediately respond to the Times' requests for comment.